“I’ve been stupid and forgot my password on my iPhone X. I’ve tried that many times and disabled my iPhone. I’ve put it into recovery mode and connected to iTunes, gone to restore, accepted all I need to accepts and then nothing! Please help me, I really need my iPhone for work purposes.”
Are you suffering the same error? You’re not alone. Many iOS users receive the warning message “iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes” after entering the wrong passcode too many times. How to fix disabled iPhone/iPad? Don’t worry. Here this post will discuss what causes the iPhone disabled error and 5 ways to unlock a disabled iPhone or iPad.
Instructions in this post apply to iPhone 13 Pro Max/13 Pro/13 mini/13, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone XR, iPhone XS/XS Max, iPhone X, iPhone 8/7, and more iOS devices.
Part 1: What Causes “iPhone is Disabled Connect to iTunes”?
Apple provides powerful built-in security measures with its passcode system, to protect iOS devices from any possible hacking attempt. Basically, an iPhone or iPad will become disabled after entering the wrong passcode six times. The security measure is helpful to prevent the iPhone from unauthorized access by hackers or thieves, however, it can cause problems when you forgot your own iPhone passcode or your child plays with your iPad and gets locked.
Below is how many times you can enter an incorrect passcode before the iPhone or iPad is disabled:
- 1 -5 incorrect passcode attempts: No problem.
- 6 incorrect passcode attempts: iPhone is disabled. Try again in 1 minute.
- 7 incorrect passcode attempts: iPhone is disabled. Try again in 5 minutes.
- 8 incorrect passcode attempts: iPhone is disabled. Try again in 15 minutes.
- 9 incorrect passcode attempts: iPhone is disabled. Try again in 60 minutes.
- 10 incorrect passcode attempts: iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes. (If Settings > Touch ID & Passcode > Erase Data is switched ON, all data will be completely erased from the iPhone.)
Part 2: Which Method Should You Use to Fix Disabled iPhone?
“iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes” is really annoying but not a serious error, and actually, there are several methods to this issue. You can fix a disabled iPhone/iPad without a password or computer, connecting to iTunes, using iCloud or with Recovery Mode. But which method you take should be based on the specific condition of your device.
- If you are looking for the simplest and most effective way, use MobePas iPhone Passcode Unlocker to unlock a disabled iPhone/iPad without a password.
- If you don’t have a computer, try to hard reset your disabled iPhone and unlock the device without a computer.
- If you’ve synced your iPhone/iPad with iTunes before and regularly create backups in iTunes, use the iTunes method.
- If your iPhone/iPad was signed in to iCloud and had to Find My iPhone enabled before being disabled, use the iCloud method.
- If you’ve never synced with iTunes or enabled Find My iPhone in iCloud, use the Recovery Mode method.
Part 3: Top 5 Ways to Fix iPhone is Disabled Connect to iTunes
Way 1: Fix Disabled iPhone without Password
If your iPhone says “iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes”, what should you do? Here is the good news. MobePas iPhone Passcode Unlocker can help you fix iPhone is a disabled problem without any hassle. Using it, you can quickly unlock a disabled iPhone or iPad without knowing the password and without using iTunes/iCloud.
Key Features of MobePas iPhone Passcode Unlocker:
- Fix “iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes” error without passcode and iTunes
- Bypass various iPhone screen locks like 4-digit/6-digit passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID.
- Remove Apple ID and iCloud account from iPhone or iPad without password.
- Works well on the latest iOS 15 and all iOS devices including iPhone 13/12/11.
Here’s How to Unlock Disabled iPhone/iPad without Password:
Step 1: Download, install and launch MobePas iPhone Passcode Unlocker, then select the “Unlock Screen Passcode” option from the main interface.
Step 2: Click on “Start” and connect your disabled iPhone or iPad to the computer with a USB cable. Once the device is detected, click “Download” to proceed.
Step 3: When the firmware is downloaded successfully, click “Start to Extract”. After that, click “Start Unlock” to unlock the disabled iPhone without a password.
After unlocking, restart your iPhone and start using it normally. If you have suffered any data loss, you can restore data using MobePas iPhone Data Recovery. With it, you can retrieve data from iCloud or iTunes backups, or even directly from iPhone or iPad.
Way 2: Fix Disabled iPhone without Computer
If you don’t have a computer on hand, a hard reset can help to fix this “iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes” error. The hard reset will erase all contents on your iPhone and restore it back to factory condition, then help to resolve most of the iPhone glitches, such as the iPhone being stuck in Recovery mode, Apple logo, boot loop, etc. The hard reset process is fairly simple but slightly different on various iPhone models. Follow the steps below:
- For iPhone 13/12/11/XS/XR/X/8: Click and quickly release the Volume Up button, do the same with the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Power button until the Apple logo appears.
- For iPhone 7 series: Hold the Volume Down button and the Power button at the same time. Release both buttons when the Apple logo shows up.
- For other iPhone models: Hold the Power button and the Home button at the same time. Release the two buttons until you see the Apple logo screen.
Way 3: Fix Disabled iPhone with iTunes
You can easily unlock a disabled iPhone or iPad by connecting it to iTunes, but note that the data on device will be completely erased during the restore process. So it’s important to have a recent backup in iTunes or iCloud if you don’t want to lose important data.
- Use a USB cable to connect your disabled iPhone or iPad to the computer you’ve synced with.
- Open iTunes or Finder if you own a Mac on macOS Catalina 10.15. Click on the device icon and wait for iTunes to sync your device.
- Under the Summary tab, click the “Restore iPhone” option. If you’re required to turn off Find My iPhone, try the iCloud or Recovery Mode method instead.
- Follow the on-screen prompts to restore your iPhone/iPad. After that, it will restart like a new device. If available, choose to restore from iTunes or iCloud backup during the setup process.
Way 4: Fix Disabled iPhone with iCloud
If the iTunes method doesn’t work for whatever reason, you can choose to use iCloud to unlock your disabled iPhone or iPad and remove data as well as the passcode on it. Please note that you need to know your Apple ID and password, and the disabled device should have an internet connection.
- Go to icloud.com/find and sign in with your Apple ID and password.
- Click on “All Devices” at the top and tap on the device that is currently disabled.
- Choose “Erase iPhone” and input your Apple ID password to confirm the action.
- Wait for your iPhone to finish erasing, then complete the setup process and restore a backup if needed.
Way 5: Fix Disabled iPhone with Recovery Mode
If all the above methods fail to solve your problem, you can try to put your device into Recovery Mode to get rid of the disabled iPhone/iPad. Please note that you’ll lose all of your data if there is no backup available.
Step 1: Connect your disabled iPhone or iPad to your computer with the USB cable and open iTunes.
Step 2: When the iPhone/iPad is connected, force restart it by a combination of buttons and put the device into Recovery Mode.
- For iPhone 8 or later: Quickly press and release the Volume Up button then followed by the Volume Down button. Next press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo screen shows up.
- For iPhone 7 or 7 Plus: Hold down the Side and Volume Down buttons together until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
- For iPhone 6s or earlier: Hold down the Side/Top and Home buttons together until you see the Apple logo on the screen.
Step 3: Once your disabled iPhone or iPad enters Recovery Mode, iTunes will ask you to Restore or Update the device, choose “Restore”.
Step 4: Wait for the restore process to complete, then you can follow the on-screen setup process to set up and use your device.
Bonus Tip: How to Avoid Getting a Disabled iPhone
Now your iPhone is enabled again after trying the 5 methods described above. Then, how to avoid getting a disabled iPhone? Below are some options you can take to prevent disabled iPhone or iPad from happening in the future:
- Be careful when inputting the passcode, don’t enter the wrong passcode repeatedly on your iPhone.
- Set an easier-to-remember passcode, or use Touch ID/Face ID instead of 4-digit pr 6-digit passcode.
- Make regular backups of your iPhone or iPad so that you can restore it and regain access.